Cabinet latch



T. H. SWISHER CABINET LATCH Oct. 26, 1965 Filed Dec. 16, 1963 In ven'for 7720mm? gf Swz'fi/zer B W% United States Patent 3,214,208 CABINET LATCH Thomas H. Swisher, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 16, 1963, Ser. No. 330,903 2 Claims. (Cl. 292-76) This invention relates to door latches for cabinets, and in particular to a latch which is easily installed in a cabinet door and is secured therein without requiring riveting, welding, or other conventional fastening means.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cabinet latch which may he slid into operative position within a cavity in a door structure and resiliently retained therein for cooperation with a keeper on the adjacent cabinet structure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cabinet latch comprising a single piece of spring steel having one portion formed for resilient securement within a pocket provided in a door, and another portion arranged for springable engagement with a keeper on the cabinet. It is still another object of the invention to provide a cabinet in which provision in the door for mounting a cabinet latch is cooperable with adjacent cabinet structure to provide means which may be grasped for opening the door, thus eliminating the need for a separate door handle or the like.

-In an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a sheet metal cabinet door, the door is flanged about its four sides and a flange portion opposite the hinged side of the door is curled to provide a latchreceiving structure. This structure includes a short arcuate portion which in cross section comprehends almost a full circle; for example, about 330. Intermediate its ends the free edge of this arcuate portion is notched to provide side margins between which the latch element is secured.

The latch element is formed of a single piece of annealed spring steel, heat treated after forming and is arranged to be retained in the arcuate door portion so that certain springable portions of the latch element bear frictionally against the immediately surrounding Walls of the door, and other springable portions extend outwardly of the door to provide a resilient catch which is adapted to engage a keeper on the cabinet as the door is brought to its closed position. Specifically, the latch element is arranged to be slid into its operating position from either end of the latch-receiving structure; the installer knows that the latch element is in proper position when he hears or feels the snap which occurs when the latch element occupies the space between the side margins above noted.

Other features and advantages of the invention will best be understood by the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment, read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a cabinet having a door equipped with a latch embodying my invention, the door being in open position;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on lines 22 of FIG. 1, but with the door in closed position; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational sectional view of the door looking from the inside and showing the latch member partially inserted into the receiving structure of the door.

In view of the fact that the invention is presently used as a latch for a service compartment door in a gas-fired clothes dryer manufactured by my assignee herein, the figures show this application, but it should be understood that the invention is useful with many other types of cabinets.

The front panel 1 of the cabinet structure is formed 3,214,208 Patented Oct. 26, 1965 with an opening 2 defined by the inwardly extending flange 3 which is continuous about the four sides of the opening. Said flange 3 has an integral flange portion 4; said latter portion is in parallel relation to the front wall of the cabinet and is continuous about the top and sides of the door but is interrupted at the bottom, whereupon only the flange portion 3 extends completely across the bottom. The flange elements 3 and 4 define a pocket occupied by the cabinet door 5 when the door is in closed position. At the central top of the cabinet opening the flange 3 has an offset 6 which provides a pocket for the insertion of ones fingers when the cabinet door is to be opened.

The cabinet door 5 is a shallow pan-like structure having a continuous peripheral flange 7 of such depth that when the door is closed and the edge of the flange 7 is seated against the flange portion 4 of the cabinet, the face of the door will be substantially coplanar with the immediately surrounding portions of the cabinet. In the particular embodiment the door 5 has the hook-like extremities 8 instead of conventional hinges; as best shown in FIG. 2, said members 8 fit about the lower flange 3 when the door is closed. Of course, the door may be equipped with hinges of any style if desired, for the actual type of hinge has no bearing on the present invention. However, the downward bias exerted on the door by the resilient engagement of the latch with the cabinet is advantageous in the illustrated embodiment because such downward bias holds the bottom flange: 7 of the door against the bottom flange 3 of the cabinet.

The door flange portion 7 of the top of the door is interrupted, as shown in FIG. 1, leaving a latch-retention portion 10 which is rolled inwardly to provide an openended substantially cylindrical support for the latch member 12. By substantially cylindrical it is meant that the free edge of the rolled-over portion does not abut the inner surface of the door panel, but as best shown in FIG. 3, leaves a space 14 within which to accommodate the latch member 12. The free edge of the latch retention portion 10 is notched, as shown at 15, FIG. 3; said notch is only slightly longer than the member 12, whereupon when said latch member is in home position the side edges of the notch prevent lateral displacement of the latch member.

Looking now at FIG. 2, the latch member 12 is formed from a single strip of annealed spring steel, the width of the strip being a little less than the extent of notch 15, as above noted. The latch member has a substantially cylindrical body portion 16 from which extends a resilient foot 17. From a flexure portion 18, the latch member extends angularly upwardly along the cam portion 19 to a curved peak 20 and then downwardly to provide a sloping pilot portion 21. In its relaxed state the cylindrical portion 16 of the latch member may be a little larger than could be accommodated within the cylindrical latch-retention portion 10 of the door, in which event it would be necessary to compress the latch member slightly before it may be passed laterally through one of the open ends of said cylindrical portion.

FIG. 3 shows the latch member partially inserted within the door portion 10. With the resilient foot portion 17 against the inner door surface, the installer presses on the pilot portion 21 to compress the portion 16 of the latch, whereupon it may enter an open end of the portion 10 and be slid to its operating position. The free edge of portion 10 interfits within the flexure portion 18 of the latch member. The latch member reacts to occupy the space defined by the notch 15 as it comes into position therein. The resiliency of the latch member and its engagement with the adjacent Walls of the door maintains the operative relationship of the latch and the door.

As the door approaches its closed position, the pilot portion 21 enters beneath the edge of the flange portion 4 which serves as the catch strike or keeper, and the latch member yields to permit the plate 20 to pass beneath the keeper. With the door in closed position the slope of the cam portion 19 establishes a force diagram in which the door is drawn tightly closed while also being biased in a downward direction to cause its bottom flange '7 to rest securely on the cabinet flange 3.

Although the latch has been illustrated with specific reference to a sheet metal cabinet and cabinet door, it is obvious that application to a wooden or plastic door would require only the mounting of the metallic latchretention structure in an appropriate pocket near the edge of the door; and it is also obvious that any sheet metal element applied to the Wooden cabinet would perform the keeper function of the illustrated cabinet flange 4.

The recess in the cabinet immediately above the curved latch-retention structure makes it possible to put ones fingers into the slight gap above the door, and to draw outwardly on the door to open it. Of course, in larger doors, where the latch member may be required to be of substantially stiffer spring stock, conventional cabinet door handles would be more appropriate.

While there has been described what is at present thought to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In combination,

a door adapted to be hingedly mounted on a cabinet provided with a latch strike;

means providing an open-ended tubular structure along one edge of the door;

and a latch member disposed in said tubular structure,

said latch member comprising a single strip of springable metal having a substantially cylindrical body portion adapted to frictionally occupy saidtubular structure,

a resilient foot member extending from said portion in frictional contact with said door,

and a latch portion extending from said body portion outwardly from said tubular structure and adapted for releasable engagement with said strike as said door is moved to closed position.

2. In combination,

a door adapted to be hingedly mounted on a cabinet provided with a latch strike;

means providing an open-ended tubular structure along one edge of the door;

and a latch member disposed in'said tubular structure,

said latch member comprising a single strip of springable metal having a substantially cylindrical body portion adapted to occupy said tubular structure,

a foot member extending substantially tangentially from said body portion to bear against said door,

and a latch portion extending outwardly from said body portion in angular relation to said foot member for releasable engagement with said strike as said door is moved to closed position,

said foot member serving to restrain rotation of said body portion during engagement or disengagement of said latch portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/56 Frederick 292--76 8/57 Ivanhoe 292-80 

1. IN COMBINATION A DOOR ADAPTED TO BE HINGEDLY MOUNTED ON A CABINET PROVIDED WITH A LATCH STRIKE; MEANS PROVIDING AN OPEN-ENDED TUBULAR STRUCTURE ALONG ONE EDGE OF THE DOOR; AND A LATCH MEMBER DISPOSED IN SAID TUBULAR STRUCTURE, SAID LATCH MEMBER COMPRISING A SINGLE STRIP OF SPRINGABLE METAL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION ADAPTED TO FRICTIONALLY OCCUPY SAID TUBULAR STRUCTURE, A RESILIENT FOOT MEMBER EXTENDING FROM SAID PORTION IN FRICTIONAL CONTACT WITH SAID DOOR, AND A LATCH PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID BODY PORTION OUTWARDLY FROM SAID TUBULAR STRUCTURE AND ADAPTED FOR RELEASABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STRIKE AS SAID DOOR IS MOVED TO CLOSED POSITION. 